Beyond the Headlines: Understanding Access to Higher Education in Scotland

Photos: Forth Valley College, UHI Inverness, UHI Perth and West Lothian College

Education defines a nation: how we determine access to learning; how learning is funded; what choices learners have, and the purpose and impact of learning for Scotland’s people, places and economy all shape our identity and aspirations as a nation.

The value, both social and economic, that Scotland places on education is evident in the greater Higher Education Initial Participation Rate for Scotland showing the estimated probability that a 16-year-old will participate in higher education by the age of 25. The latest figure for Scotland is 54.6% compared to somewhat lower rates for England (50.9%) and Wales (49.5%). In addition to provision in our 19 universities, this figure includes the 20% of undergraduate higher education provision that takes place across Scotland’s 24 colleges and over 1,000 graduate apprentices who enter each year largely based with employers.

It has been a deliberate policy choice for Scotland, both pre- and post-devolution, that opportunities to participate in higher education should be available to all those with the ability to benefit. The annual process of matching applicants to university places is complex: the UK-wide University Central Admissions Service’s (UCAS’s) application cycle is followed by Scottish Government’s budget and the allocation of over £2 billion to the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) which then allocates funded places to individual universities and colleges. Landing the right numbers in the right places in the right time and for the right purpose is like landing the proverbial jumbo jet on a pin; it’s a system that just about works but has room for improvement.

In years when there has been has had more funded places available than qualified Scottish learners for these places the surplus has been unevenly spread.  Higher tariff courses and institutions (those requiring the strongest grades) have generally been oversubscribed relative to those courses with lower entry tariffs. The latter can often be in institutions with primarily widening access missions and/or in locations that are less accessible and/or experiencing lower economic growth and fewer graduate employment opportunities.

Discussions about choice and the availability of places at university generate much interest and it’s important to acknowledge the ways in which such choices are, by necessity, influenced by Government funding, university capacity, and graduate employment prospects; it would be unethical to admit students to university if they did not have the necessary grades to succeed, the university did not have the required level of staff, facilities or accommodation to provide an excellent student experience, or the economy was such that students – particularly those studying more professionally-focused courses – had little prospect of securing graduate-entry employment.

The implication of in-built limitation leads to accusations that Scottish students are being turned away from Scottish universities in favour of applicants from elsewhere in the UK or from overseas. But Scottish students do not compete with non-Scottish students for places; places for Scottish students are funded by the Scottish Funding Council solely for Scottish students and are capped to ensure the budget is not exceeded. Non-Scottish students pay fees for their place at university, both in and outside Scotland, and cannot take a place funded by the SFC for a Scottish-domiciled student.

That does not prevent headline writers talking about Scottish students being “frozen out.” In reality the number of Scottish students accepted for an undergraduate degree at a Scottish university increased by 11% between 2019 and 2025 (UCAS). This is despite a decline in the numbers of Scottish students applying for a place at university. This trend is expected to continue and we will know more when UCAS figures are released after the Qualifications Scotland ‘Results Day’ on 4 August.

Running parallel to this is the assertion that ‘displaced’ Scottish students have to look for places at universities elsewhere in the UK where they will have to pay tuition fees of up to £9,790 a year. Yet UCAS data tell us that the number of Scots applying to universities in other parts of the UK has decreased in recent years.

SFC analysis shows that the number of Scots securing a clearing place in Scotland is 15 times higher than the number of Scots who gain a clearing place in England. Even now, UCAS’s course listing shows generous availability of clearing places across a large range of subjects at several Scottish universities. Some of the recent media reports have assumed a scarcity of clearing places at particular Scottish universities as something negative; those applying to courses whose quality and outcomes have been recognised by aspiring undergraduates, and where both demand and graduate prospects are high, see it differently.

The Tertiary sector lies at the intersection of education and economy and at the heart of the new public service reform agenda as we prepare to implement the Tertiary Education and Training (Scotland) Act 2026. Learner choice, employer need and the tertiary system our nation requires to deliver a more prosperous, inclusive and globally competitive Scotland are important matters. SFC is focused on these issues as we develop our new strategy designed to invest in the education, skills, research and innovation required to deliver Scotland’s wellbeing economy.

It is, of course, right that there should be debate about how well Scotland’s tertiary education systems meets learner demand. But it is also important that our system acknowledges the needs of employers and industry and recognises the potential for further investment in other forms of learning such as apprenticeships. Most importantly, our tertiary education system must provide excellence, reach and impact to enable Scotland’s people, places and economy to thrive.

Professor Cara Aitchison, Chair of the Scottish Funding Council, 7 August 2026